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Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic exits Heat game with apparent leg injury
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- Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic exits Heat game with apparent leg injury
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Nikola Jokic suffered an apparent leg injury during the Denver Nuggets' matchup against the Miami Heat on Monday night.
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The injury took place in the final seconds of the first half. Jokic was inside the paint as Spencer Jones ' right leg accidentally collided with the star center's left leg . This ended up the Jokic writhing on the hardwood in visible pain before getting up as he hobbled his way to the locker room.
It's a scary moment for the Nuggets squad as Jokic was performing well throughout the first half. He had 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. Denver later revealed before the second half commenced that Jokic is questionable to return with a left knee injury, per insider Marc Stein.
How Nuggets played against Heat despite Nikola Jokic injury
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Nikola Jokic was unfortunately unable to return to the game as the Nuggets suffered a 147-123 blowout loss to the Heat.
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Denver started off slow as the team trailed by 12 before responding in the second quarter to tie the score at 63 apiece at halftime. However, Jokic's injury hurt the visitors as Miami took full advantage by torching Denver 84-60 in the second half.
Perimeter shooting, rebounding and ball movement made big impacts on the matchup. The Heat prevailed in all three areas by making 22 3-pointers, securing 46 rebounds and created 40 assists. It hasn't been the same for the Nuggets as they converted 11 triples, grabbed 36 rebounds and dished out 29 assists.
Six players scored in double-digits for Denver in the loss, including Jokic. Jamal Murray finished with 20 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, and a steal. He shot 9-of-21 overall, including 2-of-6 from downtown. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Spencer Jones came next with 16 points and three rebounds each, Bruce Brown had 15 points and five rebounds, while Peyton Watson provided 11 points and two rebounds.
Denver fell to a 22-10 record on the season, holding the third spot in the Western Conference standings. They are one game above the Los Angeles Lakers and 1.5 games above the Houston Rockets while trailing the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder .
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The Nuggets will look to bounce back in their next matchup. They remain on the road as they face the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Related: Nuggets' David Adelman reacts to Nikola Jokic's knee injury
Related: Nuggets' Nikola Jokic just barely slams it home for alley-oop dunk vs. Heat
